Let's Sell These People a Piece of Blue Sky: Hubbard, Dianetics and Scientology (52 page)

In October 1980, Watchdog Committee Chairman caused much
rejoicing by making the enormous price cuts mentioned earlier.
³⁵

Scientology was still not cheap, but it was a great deal
cheaper, and the monthly price hikes had stopped. It looked as if the
Scientology world was finally going to right itself. Many thought that “LRH”
was “back on the lines.” In fact, quite the opposite was true.

Omar Garrison, who, commissioned by the Scientologists, had
already written two books favorable to Scientology, was now contracted to write
Hubbard’s biography, using the enormous collection of material discovered and
gathered by Gerry Armstrong. The contract negotiations were elaborate, with
Mary Sue Hubbard representing both her husband to the publisher, and the
publisher to Garrison. The publisher was Scientology Publications Denmark, a
subsidiary of the Church of Scientology, though its executives knew nothing of
the negotiations made by Mary Sue on their behalf.
³⁶

Garrison was firm in his approach, as he later said
³⁷
:
“I wasn’t prepared to write a eulogy for Mr. Hubbard ... it would be like
trying to write a biography of Christ for a very fanatical Christian
organization ... they agreed that I can [sic] write it without any
restriction.”

The day after the contract was signed, on October 31, 1980,
the Internal Revenue Service placed a lien on the Cedars of Lebanon complex,
the huge old hospital which by then housed Scientology’s Los Angeles operation.
Within a fortnight, the Scientologists’ appeal against the IRS tax assessment
for the years 1970-1972 went to court.

Hubbard’s written Scientology output for 1980 was small. A
few already lengthy Confessional lists were extended on his instruction, and
there were various pronouncements about drugs. He kept busy with other matters.
The first was an attempt at writing the longest science-fiction novel of all
time. He later boasted to A.E. van Vogt that it had only taken him six weeks to
write.
³⁸
It is rumored that Hubbard did not even read the proofs,
leaving this to his close confidante, Messenger Pat Broeker.
³⁹
But
how could a Messenger alter the words of the great OT? Perhaps
Battlefield
Earth
is the longest science-fiction novel ever written. Certainly, some
reviewers found it among the most boring, and possibly the most turgid. One
headed his review, succinctly, “Brain Death.”
⁴⁰
In his history of
science-fiction,
Trillion Year Spree
, Brian Aldiss gave a good synopsis
of the novel
⁴¹
:

The Psychlos, thousand pound alien monsters with “cruelty”
fuses in their solid bone skulls and a penchant for shooting the legs off
horses one at a time, have taken over Earth. The Psychlos are materialists, miners
and manipulators ... they are baddies, there to be shot and killed in the cause
of freedom. Fighting for humankind is Johnnie Goodboy Tyler, a young,
well-muscled hero, supported by a bunch of mad Scots and Russians, brave
fighters and dreadful caricatures to the last man. In the course of the story,
Johnnie gets the girl ... frees the Earth, wreaks vengeance on the Psychlos’
home planet, and eventually gets to own the Galaxy. Just a simple
boy-makes-good story. A bit like Rambo.

When Scientology’s Bridge Publications printed the paperback
issue, the over-muscled figure of Johnnie on the cover was topped by a very
Hubbard-like head.

Hubbard’s second work of 1980 was somewhat shorter. Hubbard
had decided that society lacked a moral code, and wrote
The Way to Happiness
,
for public distribution. The lack of mention of Scientology or Dianetics is
striking, and a publishing front was even developed so that the booklet would
not seem to emanate from the Scientology Church. The booklet lays out a series
of 21 maxims from “Take Care of Yourself” to “Flourish and Prosper,” each with
a page or two of explanation. It includes the unoriginal and awkwardly phrased
“Try Not to Do Things to Others That You Would

Not Like Them to Do to You.” Most of the advice is sensible
if obvious, and much of it Hubbard had ignored throughout his life. The maxim
about lying is carefully worded: “Do not tell harmful lies.” At the end of each
explanation is a summating phrase. “Do Not Murder” is followed by “
The Way
to Happiness
does not include murdering your friends, your family, or
yourself being murdered.” The booklet is sugary, but harmless enough. It
certainly does not reflect the morality Hubbard instilled into his followers,
least of all B-1, the Intelligence section of the Guardian’s Office. Just after
the completion of
The Way to Happiness
, Guardian Jane Kember and Deputy
Guardian for Information World-Wide, Mo Budlong, were sentenced to two to six
years for “burglary, aiding and abetting.” By following Hubbard’s instructions
they had violated point nine of
The Way to Happiness
: “Don’t Do Anything
Illegal.”

1.
   
Douglas in CSC v. Armstrong, vol.25 (where she said that Hubbard had cut
back to 4 packs a day in 1980) and Miller interview with Douglas.

2.
   
Hubbard in Clearing Course film; Author’s interview with Urquhart;
author’s interview with former St Hill staff member.

3.
   
Author’s interview with Virginia Downsborough, October 1986.

4.
   
Dincalci Debrief.

5.
   
For Hubbard’s condition between 1975 and 1980, see Douglas in CSC v.
Armstrong, vol.25, pp.4438ff.

6.
   
David Mayo “Recollections”, The Journal of the Advanced Ability Center,
Santa Barbara, vol.2, no.3, April 1985.

7.
   
Miller interview with Douglas; author’s interview with Mayo, October
1986.

8.
   
Mayo “Open Letter to All Scientologists”, 1983.

9.
   
Armstrong affidavit, May 1983, pp.6f.

10.
 
St
Petersburg Times
“Scientology”, p.19.

11.
 
Jon
Zegel tape 2, 1983.

12.
 
Armstrong
in CSC v. Armstrong, vol.9, p.1473.

13.
 
Author’s
correspondence with DeDe Voegeding.

14.
 
see
⁹

15.
 
Author’s
interview with John Nelson, January 1984; author’s correspondence with DeDe
Voegeding; see also Technical Bulletins, vol.12, p.307.

16.
 
Executive
Directive 1735 Flag “Watchdog Committee”, 2 April 1979.

17.
 
CBO
588 “Flag Senior Management Command Lines”, 26 July 1979.

18.
 
Executive
Directive 92 CMO “CMO Regulations” 11 January 1978; see also CBO 621 “Bypass of
Management...”, 29 November 1979.

19.
 
as
⁹
, p.9.

20.
 
Mary
Sue Hubbard in CSC v. Armstrong, vol.1, pp.886 & 888, and vol.6, p.876. She
said “late”; Zegel put the date in mid 1979 (tape 2). The Stipulation was
signed in October.

21.
 
HCOB
3 January 1980.

22.
 
HCOB
revised 10 April 1980.

23.
 
Armstrong
in CSC v. Armstrong, vol.9, p.1491; Sullivan,
ibid
, vol.19a, pp.3052f.

24.
 
ibid
,
Armstrong, vol.9, p.1491.

25.
 
ibid
,
Sullivan, vol.19a, pp.3053f.

26.
 
ibid
,
Armstrong, vol.9, pp.1492ff & 1555;
ibid
, Sullivan, vol.19, p.3246.

27.
 
ibid
,
exhibit read in, vol.9, p.1510.

28.
 
ibid
,
Mary Sue Hubbard, vol.6, p.886.

29.
 
ibid
,
Michael Flynn, vol.0, p.67.

30.
 
Armstrong
affidavit, 19 October 1982; see also Armstrong in CSC v. Armstrong, vol.10,
pp.1588f, vol.11, pp.1777 & 1781-2, and vol.18, pp.2859-60; also Sullivan,
ibid
,
vol.19a, pp.3047 & 3069.

31.
 
Armstrong
in CSC v. Armstrong, vol.14, pp.2272ff.

32.
 
The
Times
, 17 July 1980.

33.
 
HCOB
30 July 1980.

34.
 
HCOB
“Criminals and Psychiatry” 29 July 1980.

35.
 
LRH
Executive Directive 284-11 “The Solution to Inflation”, 15 October 1980.

36.
 
Garrison
deposition, read in to record in CSC v. Armstrong, vol.8, pp.1193, 1195, 1280,
1290-1, & 1296-7; Garrison in CSC v. Armstrong, vol.21, p.3662; Armstrong
in
ibid
, vol.10, p.1676, and vol.14, p.2209; Mary Sue Hubbard in
ibid
,
vol.6, p.915, 922-5.

37.
 
ibid
,
vol.21, pp.3595-7.

38.
 
van
Vogt letter to the author.

39.
 
Armstrong
in CSC v. Armstrong, vol.10, pp.1646f.

40.
 
in
White Dwarf
magazine.

41.
 
p.394.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“When an individual, in the Church or out
of it, becomes dangerous to the public interest he must be checked.”

—Abraham
Lincoln

In December 1980, the long dormant post of Executive
Director International was resurrected.
¹
It had remained vacant
since Hubbard’s resignation in 1966. Scientologists the world over were aware
that Hubbard, the Founder, Commodore and Source, was the real head of their
Church, but under the new corporate strategy, it was necessary to conceal
Hubbard’s control. The new Executive Director International was Bill Franks,
and he was to be “ED Int for life.” It turned out to be a very short life. Scientologists
the world over assumed that Franks was Hubbard’s immediate junior, and was
being groomed to succeed the Commodore.

Hubbard’s legal situation was worsening. Early in 1981, the
“All Clear Unit” was set up at the Commodore’s Messenger Organization
International (“CMO Int”) reporting directly to the Commanding Officer CMO, who
was also chairwoman of the Watchdog Committee. The unit’s purpose was to make
it “All Clear” for Hubbard to come out of hiding.
²

David Miscavige was a cameraman with the CMO Film Unit in
1977, at the age of 17, and had gained a reputation for bulldozing through any
resistance. Miscavige could get things done, and had even been known to stand
his ground before Hubbard. His parents were Scientologists, and his older
brother, Ronnie, was also in the CMO. David Miscavige had trained as an Auditor
at Saint Hill at the age of 14. He was not a long-term Messenger, but his
dogged determination led to rapid promotion.

One of his Miscavige’s former superiors had this to say of
“DM” as he is usually known: “When he’s under control ... he’s a very dynamite
character ... He is willing to take on and confront anything.” And this despite
Miscavige’s touchiness over being little over five feet tall and asthmatic.

The Guardian’s Office had failed Hubbard. Mary Sue, the
Controller, never saw him again after their meeting a few months before his
disappearance early in 1980. According to Hubbard, mistakes do not just happen,
somebody causes them. Mistakes and accidents are the result of deliberate
Suppression. A catastrophe as big as the FBI case against the GO was obviously
the result of a very heavyweight Suppressive. Hubbard could not admit that the
GO had merely been following his orders, so rather than reforming his views, he
set out to reform the GO.

In 1979, Hubbard had issued a so-called “Advice” (an
internal directive with limited distribution) stating that when situations
really foul-up there is more than one Suppressive Person at work. Further,
those who have submitted to the SPs, the SP’s “connections,” also have to be
rooted out.
³
The GO, and all of the “connections” within and around
it, had to be purged. Ironically, the GO had finally persuaded Hubbard that his
hand must not be seen in the management of Scientology, so the All Clear Unit
became Hubbard’s instrument. The Suppressive-riddled GO had to be removed
completely; but it had to be removed with dexterity, because it was the most
powerful force in Scientology. Everyone concerned had to be sure that the
orders were coming from Hubbard, but there must be no tangible evidence.

If the GO had believed there was a palace revolution in
progress they would have been perfectly capable of destroying the tiny CMO.
There were 1,100 GO staff, most of them seasoned, their leaders well-known in
the Scientology world. There were a score of Messengers at CMO Int, and despite
their newly acquired role in management, they were virtually unknown to the
vast majority of Scientologists.

The CMO’s first task was to remove the Controller. In May
1981, David Miscavige, by now 21, met with Mary Sue Hubbard.
⁴
He
told her that as a convicted criminal her position in the Church was an embarrassment.
The attorneys had suggested that as long as she remained in an administrative
position her husband was implicated in all Scientology affairs, including the
burglaries. Miscavige doubtless reminded her that the appeal of her prison
sentence would probably be lost, and that when it was lost the Church’s public
position would be far better if the Church was seen to have disciplined her.
Mary Sue screamed and raged, but Miscavige kept his bulldog grip on the
situation. He was immune to tirades, and probably smiled as he dodged the ashtray
she hurled at him. For her husband’s good, the Controller finally stepped down.
Afterwards she decided she had been tricked, and sent letters of complaint.
There was no reply. She thought that her letters to her husband were being
censored. They were, but on her husband’s order.